In Memoriam: Alan D. Leve z"l

When UCLA Newsroom interviewed him in 2015, Alan D. Leve shared what he learned from the way the local Boyle Heights community celebrated his late grandmother.

“My grandmother had no fame, no material assets of any value; but everyone gravitated to her because of her warmth and generosity of spirit,” he said. “I realized then that who you are is more important than what you have.”

Leve, who died in July, leaves behind an incredible legacy of his own that not only builds upon that of his grandmother, but creates ripple effects that will continue to be felt for generations.

Born in 1927, Alan Donald Leve grew up in Boyle Heights, where he learned important lessons from his tight-knit, hardworking and proudly Jewish family. After graduating from UCLA in 1951, he embarked on a business career that eventually saw him rise to the top of his field as founder, president, CEO and chairman of Ohmega Technologies. Founded in 1983, the company produced technology that was used across a broad spectrum of applications around the globe, including cell phones, satellites and defense electronics.

His success inspired him to give back to his alma mater and community in honor of his family and heritage. With a $5 million pledge to endow and name the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, Leve helped cement its reputation as one of the world’s leading research hubs of its type.

“Working with Alan on this great project was for me a transformative educational experience,” said David Schaberg, the dean of humanities from 2011-2022 and senior dean of the College from 2020-22. “As a then-new dean, I was eager to strengthen ties with the Los Angeles communities whose legacies we research and teach. Alan, for his part, was the triumphant veteran of decades in business, the tireless creator intent on sharing the fruits of his success with others.”

In everything he did, Leve’s wisdom and compassion honed from his upbringing and experience inspired those who crossed his path.

“Meetings with him, whether around a conference table on campus or over dinner in the neighborhood, were always exhilarating because of the vast perspective his long life and many projects had given him,” said Schaberg. “His conscience and his generosity have marked me personally, and they have marked our institution for all time.”

Long after endowing the Center, Leve remained a wonderfully influential figure on campus and off.

“I was fortunate to meet Alan D. Leve soon after I arrived to UCLA in late 2022, and was immediately impressed with his intellectual curiosity, deep sense of integrity and unwavering support for Jewish studies,” said Alexandra Minna Stern, the current dean of humanities. “Over the few years that I had the honor of partnering with him, we had many wide-ranging conversations, and I learned about his remarkable life as a businessman and philanthropist.”

As the Alan D. Leve Center, UCLA Division of Humanities, UCLA College and university itself look to the future, Leve’s glowing example will continue to inspire.

“Alan was deeply devoted to his family and lived a life guided by Jewish values of community, justice and social responsibility,” said Stern. “He will be sorely missed as we continue his legacy through the work of the Alan D. Leve Center.”

Testimonials

Carol Bakhos (Professor of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures; Director of the Center for the Study of Religion; Chair of the Study of Religion IDP)

I admired Alan’s commitment to all things Blue and Gold. His face lit up whenever he talked about watching UCLA games all decked out in Bruin apparel. His devotion was infectious. Alan was an invaluable member of our Jewish Studies family whose generosity contributed to the scholarly flourishing of many and has made a lasting impact for which we are so grateful.

 

Aomar Boum (Professor of Anthropology and Near Eastern Languages & Cultures Maurice Amado Chair in Sephardic Studies)

I am profoundly grateful for the lasting impact of Alan’s educational support at UCLA, which makes possible the scholarly exploration of diverse Jewish experiences and Jewish-Muslim relations.

 

Rebecca Glasberg (Reinhard Postdoctoral Fellow in Jewish Studies, Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford University / Former Leve Fellow)

My research would not have been possible without the generous support of the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies. Grants from the Center enabled me to pursue Arabic studies, conduct research abroad, and devote time to pursuing novel approaches to Holocaust Studies. Both my first publication and the article I am currently writing are based on research I did with Alan D. Leve Center support, and I will remain grateful for Mr. Leve’s efforts to grow Jewish studies at UCLA.

 

Vivian Holenbeck (Assistant Director, UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies)

Alan Leve was someone who cared deeply- about family, community, Jewish studies, and UCLA. Hew was always very invested and supported of the activities of the Alan D. Leve Center and his presence and guidance will be greatly missed.

 

Benjamin Kersten (Graduate Fellow, recipient of Alan D. Leve Award for Student Excellence)

Mr. Leve’s robust support for Jewish studies at UCLA has enabled me to study language and consult archival materials that enliven my research. His commitment to the field has provided resources crucial for innovation and collaboration. He has left an indelible mark on Jewish studies that will be felt well into the future.

 

Mark Kligman (Mickey Katz Endowed Chair in Jewish Music; Director, The Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music; Professor of Musicology; Chair and Professor of Ethnomusicology)

I started at UCLA in 2014 as the inaugural holder of the Mickey Katz Endowed Chair in Jewish Music. I was fortunate to work closely with The Jewish Studies Center that helped to sponsor music academic and performance programs. During that year I met Alan Leve when the initial announcement of the endowment of the Center. It was a joy to see how pleased he was at the inaugural events of the Center with the Boyle Heights program. I assisted with the UCLA Klezmer Ensemble playing at the Breed Street Schul. I will always remember Alan Leve’s satisfaction to see students and faculty at UCLA engaged with the teaching, researching and learning of Jewish studies.

 

Elaine Lindheim (Chair, Alan D. Leve Community Advisory Board)

As chair of the Alan D. Leve Center Advisory Board I wish to express my profound appreciation for the legacy that Alan Leve created by endowing the Center for Jewish Studies more than ten years ago. Because of his personal commitment to UCLA and Jewish Los Angeles, Mr. Leve ensured the Center’s future as a leading institution engaged in the study of Jewish history, culture and civilization.  Up until very recently Alan was an active participant in the Center’s activities, offering his guidance and sharing his vision for the Center’s future. The involvement of his family members, Laura and Larry Cohen, will ensure that Alan Leve’s vision will continue to shine brightly. May his memory be a blessing.

 

Caroline Luce (Project Director, UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment)

It was an honor and a privilege to have worked with Alan to celebrate the many histories that converged in his beloved Boyle Heights. I am deeply grateful for the support he provided for my own work and for the UCLA community. May his memory be for a blessing.

 

Yevhen Minko (Doctoral Student at the University of Jyväskylä, Alan D. Leve Center Visiting Graduate Researcher in 2022-2023)

The year that I spent at UCLA as a Alan D. Leve Center visiting graduate researcher was of pivotal importance to me as a scholar—and a human being. The support I received from the Center team was overwhelming and elevated my work to the next level. I cherish memories of those days and deeply appreciate Alan’s role in my life. It is sad to know that Alan is gone, but his legacy will no doubt illuminate the path to the future generations of those who explore Jewish histories and societies worldwide.

 

David N. Myers (Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History; Director of Luskin Center for History and Policy; Distinguished Professor of History; Director of the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate)

From the first time that I met him, I connected to Alan Leve. He brought a rare mix of passion, determination, vision, and focus to his plans for what became the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies. It was through his major gift that the Center was able to leap from national to international prominence. He always added a note of wit, humor, and grace to any gathering in which he was present. He will be sorely missed.

 

Todd Presner (Michael and Irene Ross Chair in Yiddish; Professor of European Languages and Transcultural Studies and Comparative Literature; Chair of the Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies; Special Advisor to Chancellor Wakimoto in the Office of Research and Creative Activities)

I will always remember Alan Leve for his unwavering commitment to education, for his extraordinarily generous spirit, and for his truly collaborative, thoughtful vision for Jewish Studies at UCLA and beyond. He always sought to connect our knowledge of the past with actions in the present that would shape our common future. He was a gentle, caring, and loving man who truly wanted to make a difference in the world. And he did.

 

David C. Schaberg (Professor of Asian languages and cultures)

Working with Alan on the great project of endowing the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies was for me a transformative educational experience. As a new dean overseeing UCLA’s humanities departments, I was eager to strengthen ties with the Los Angeles communities whose legacies we research and teach. Alan, for his part, was the triumphant veteran of decades in business, the tireless creator intent on sharing the fruits of his success with others. Meetings with him, whether around a conference table on campus or over dinner in the neighborhood, were always exhilarating because of the vast perspective his long life and many projects had given him. His conscience and his generosity have marked me personally, and they have marked our institution for all time.

 

William Schniedewind (Professor of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures)

Alan D. Leve was a visionary who laid the foundations for all the Alan D. Leve Center has become. Alan leaves behind a great legacy characterized by a commitment to pathbreaking scholarship in Jewish studies.

 

Sarah Stein (Viterbi Family Chair in Mediterranean Jewish Studies; Professor of History; Sady and Ludwig Kahn Director, UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies)

Alan was a towering figure to all who knew him: dignified, driven, caring, thoughtful, generous. He had strong convictions but relished honest conversation. When Alan endowed the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, he made it a second home–attending events whenever he could, taking joyous excitement in the hatching of new plans, joining with his daughter Laura Leve Cohen and son-in-law Larry Cohen in serving as a Board member and, with Laura and Larry and his daughter Elise Leve, serving as ambassadors of the Center to all who would listen. I have fond memories of inaugurating the Alan D. Leve Center with Alan and his family, sharing his beloved martini hour with him, and marking his 90th birthday with friends and family. He leaves shoes too big to fill, and will be much missed.

 

Alexandra Stern (Dean of the UCLA Division of Humanities; Professor of English and History, and at the Institute for Society and Genetics)

I was fortunate to meet Alan D. Leve soon after I arrived at UCLA in late 2022, and immediately appreciated his intellectual curiosity, strong sense of integrity, and commitment to Jewish studies. I always took away deep insights from our wide-ranging conversations, and I look forward to continuing his remarkable legacy through the work of the Alan D. Leve Center.

If you would like to submit a tribute for Alan D. Leve z”l, please email us at levecenter@humnet.ucla.edu